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Panthers Reassign Jack Devine

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The Panthers announced this afternoon that forward Jack Devine has been assigned to AHL Charlotte. That clears an active roster spot, one that could be used to activate star winger Matthew Tkachuk from long-term injured reserve in the coming days. Nearly two weeks have passed since he started skating again following offseason groin surgery.

If that’s the case, Florida isn’t done making roster moves. With Devine off the roster, they’re exceeding the cap by $7.24MM. They’re compliant because that’s less than their LTIR pool of $9.52MM. That pool will shrink to $5.7MM when Tkachuk is activated, though. That’s a $1.54MM difference they need to make up for. They’ll likely do so by shifting forwards Jonah Gadjovich and Cole Schwindt from standard IR to LTIR. They carry a combined cap hit of $1.6MM, increasing their LTIR pool by just enough to carry Tkachuk on the active roster without making any other changes to the roster.

Devine is in his first professional season and still has three years or 64 NHL games played remaining until he’ll require waivers to head to the minors, so that’s not a concern anytime soon. He’s the only waiver-exempt player on the roster aside from lineup fixture Mackie Samoskevich, so that made his reassignment more or less inevitable as Florida got healthier.

The right-shooting Devine had been out of the lineup as a healthy scratch in three consecutive games. He didn’t manage a point in six appearances since being recalled from Charlotte on Nov. 18. His possession numbers are solid enough, but he was deployed in extremely sheltered usage and had a -3 rating while averaging only 8:26 of ice time per game.

Florida drafted Devine with the fifth-to-last pick of the 2022 draft. He’s been on an upward trajectory ever since and turned pro this year on the heels of back-to-back 50-point seasons at the University of Denver, where he totaled a 57-106–163 scoring line in 162 collegiate appearances across four years. He won two national championships with the Pioneers and was the top scorer in college hockey with 57 points in 2024-25, finishing as a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award for the second year in a row.

His offensive success in the NCAA has followed him to the pros, just not yet to the NHL. He rattled off six goals and 12 points through his first 13 games with Charlotte before getting called up. He was the team’s leading scorer when he was removed from the roster last month and should reclaim that title soon enough as he’s in for an extended stint – potentially the rest of the season – down in the AHL after a quiet first stint on the Cats’ roster.

Anton Lundmark Clears Unconditional Waivers

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Saturday: Lundmark passed through waivers unclaimed, Friedman reports.  HockeySverige’s Mans Karlsson reports that the forward is indeed expected to rejoin Timrå.

Friday: The Panthers placed winger Anton Lundmark on unconditional waivers today, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. He’ll have his contract terminated tomorrow after he clears, and will become an unrestricted free agent.

It’s a rapid end to Lundmark’s time in the Florida organization. The 24-year-old Swede signed a one-year, entry-level pact with the Cats in April as an undrafted free agent out of the Swedish Hockey League’s Timrå IK.

At the time, it was a highly puzzling move. The 6’4″, 192-lb Lundmark had never been on the public radar. Last season was the first time he’d ever suited up in the top tier of European professional hockey. All of his previous experience had come in the second and third divisions of Swedish hockey, even spending a few games in the fifth and sixth tiers earlier on in his development.

Even then, he wasn’t much more than a fourth-line penalty-killing piece for Timrå. In 49 games, he only registered five goals and nine points with a +2 rating.

Those numbers weren’t conducive to Lundmark having much of an impact in the minors, let alone coming anywhere close to landing an NHL job. In nine games with AHL Charlotte, he’s been held without a point and has a -2 rating. He’s been a healthy scratch for nearly half their schedule and has sat out of four of Charlotte’s last six games.

Lundmark’s previous contract with Timrå ran through 2025-26 and contained an NHL out-clause. Since they still hold his rights, he’s presumably returning there for the balance of the campaign.

Luostarinen Returns To Practice

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  • Panthers center Eetu Luostarinen returned to practice today for the first time since suffering burns while barbecuing, mentions team reporter Rob Darragh. He has missed the last eight games while recovering.  The 27-year-old has taken on a bigger role this season in Aleksander Barkov’s absence, collecting 10 points in 18 games while logging a career-high 16:46 per game of ice time.  Head coach Paul Maurice wouldn’t rule out the possibility of Luostarinen playing this weekend; if he does, Florida won’t have to make a roster move as they kept him on the active roster while injured.

Latest On Carter Verhaeghe

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  • Florida Panthers forward Carter Verhaeghe didn’t play in the team’s loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs last night, but it wasn’t an injury that kept the former 40-goal scorer out of the lineup. TSN’s Mark Masters reported yesterday that Verhaeghe instead missed the game due to personal reasons, or more specifically, due to the fact that his wife is expecting a child. That Verhaeghe’s absence appears to be an entirely temporary one is very important to the Panthers. The team has struggled immensely with injuries so far in 2025-26 and losing a player like Verhaeghe (who has 16 points in 24 games) to injury would only further deplete their lineup.

Panthers Recall Jack Studnicka

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The Panthers announced Monday they’ve recalled Jack Studnicka from AHL Charlotte. The center gives them an extra forward for the time being; they’ve been operating with an open roster spot for a while, despite Eetu Luostarinen being unavailable but still on the active roster.

Studnicka signed a two-way deal with Florida at the beginning of last offseason’s free agent signing period. Since the Bruins selected Studnicka in the second round of the 2017 draft, he’s encroached on journeyman status. After parts of four pro seasons in the Bruins system, he was traded to the Canucks early in 2022. The Sharks traded for him the following year, but non-tendered him at the end of 2023-24. He caught on with the Kings on a two-way deal for last season but never saw a call-up after clearing waivers and heading to the minors at the beginning of the year.

If Studnicka plays on this recall, it would be his first NHL action since April 2024. In 107 career appearances with Boston, Vancouver, and San Jose, he has a 6-10–16 scoring line, a -30 rating, and a 4.4% shooting percentage while averaging 11:29 of ice time per game.

At one point, Studnicka was one of Boston’s most intriguing prospects. He was an excellent offensive producer over his final two seasons in junior hockey after being drafted. In 126 OHL games across the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons, he racked up 155 points and was ranked as the organization’s No. 1 prospect by The Athletic’s Corey Pronman heading into his first pro season in 2019-20. He kept up the momentum with 49 points in 60 games for AHL Providence, earning an All-Rookie Team nod, but never caught on to a full-time NHL role and hasn’t beaten that scoring line in the minors since, either. He did get close last year with the Ontario Reign in the Kings’ system, notching 16 goals and 45 points in 72 appearances.

An injury has limited Studnicka to eight appearances with Charlotte this season. He only just got back into the lineup after Thanksgiving, following a month-long absence. With a goal and six points, though, the Panthers evidently like what they see and will give him a crack at depth minutes in a shattered forward group missing Luostarinen, Aleksander Barkov, Jonah Gadjovich, Tomas Nosek, Cole Schwindt, and Matthew Tkachuk.

Robby Fabbri Signs PTO With AHL’s Charlotte Checkers

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Unrestricted free agent winger Robby Fabbri will play his first regular-season action of 2025-26 on a professional tryout with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers, the team announced Monday.

Fabbri will suit up with the Panthers’ affiliate after failing to land a contract from the Penguins, whose training camp he attended on a PTO. The 29-year-old hasn’t played in over nine months. He sustained a hand injury with the Ducks last season in late February, ending his campaign.

When Fabbri plays for the Checkers, it will be just the seventh AHL appearance of his professional career. The 2014 first-rounder by the Blues never had a standard minor-league assignment. He played three games for the Chicago Wolves late in 2014-15 after his junior season ended, and he played another three contests for the San Antonio Rampage while on a conditioning stint in the 2018-19 season.

The veteran of 442 NHL games now lands multiple rungs down the ladder as he attempts to get back to the top level. Injuries robbed the skilled, versatile winger of a good portion of his prime. That hand injury, plus an MCL surgery, cost him nearly half of last season with the Ducks. That’s par for the course for Fabbri, who’s had multiple ACL tears interrupt his playing time – going so far as to cost him an entire season back in 2017-18.

When healthy, the 5’11” forward has still carved out a solid track record as a middle-six piece. He’s averaged 20 goals and 40 points per 82 games over his career and is just two years removed from an 18-goal campaign with the Red Wings that matched a career-high. His diminished production in Anaheim last season, though, combined with his injury history, meant interest was tempered when he reached UFA status in July. In 44 appearances for the Ducks, he only notched eight goals and 16 points despite averaging 16:12 of ice time per game, the third-highest deployment of his career.

Fabbri’s most likely path back to the NHL deal now falls on a two-way deal with the Panthers if he has a strong showing in Charlotte, but by only signing an AHL tryout, he’s not bound to Florida in any sense and can still explore other NHL opportunities if they arise.

Panthers Attempted To Offer Sheet Nikita Kucherov In 2016

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With the holiday season afoot, former Florida Panthers assistant general manager Steve Werier was looking back on what could have been. Namely, he reflected on the team’s attempt to sign Tampa Bay Lightning superstar Nikita Kucherov to an offer sheet in 2016 on The PuckPedia Hockey Show. Werier said that Florida was hoping to take advantage of Tampa Bay’s cap strains at the time, and would have had to give up a first, second, and third-round pick in the resulting deal.

Plans ultimately fell through, and Kucherov signed a three-year, $14.3MM bridge contract with Tampa Bay. The deal proved to offer the best of both worlds, providing a 23-year-old Kucherov a chance to jump into the top echelon of NHL scorers while Tampa Bay retained enough cap space to keep Jonathan Drouin, Ondrej Palat, and Alex Killorn in the fold. Kucherov certainly did take off, recording 85, 100, and 128 points over the three years of his bridge deal respectively. He has stayed special in five seasons since, routinely exceeding point-per-game scoring in the regular-and-post-seasons and reaching a career-high 144 points in the 2023-24 season.

It would be hard to picture Kucherov – a 12-year veteran in Tampa Bay – in any other jersey. But Florida could have offered him a similar platform to thrive. Werier emphasized that the team wanted to make sure they had Aleksander Barkov and Aaron Ekblad locked up to support Kucherov, if he came in. Florida was also carrying Vincent Trocheck, Jonathan Marchessault, and Jaromir Jagr at the time. They’ve swapped those three out for Jonathan Huberdeau, then Matthew Tkachuk, and Sam Reinhart in the years since. That firepower has proven enough to earn Florida two Stanley Cup championships, the same number that Kucherov has won in Tampa Bay.

A deal never came together, and both Florida-based clubs found their way to stardom nonetheless. But how an in-state offer sheet could have impacted the two sides will be a fun thought for the rest of the holiday week. Kucherov is among the best forwards in the NHL, and one of the greatest Russians to ever play. Any effort to bring him into the fold is notable, even if it ultimately fell through.

Louis Domingue Signs With AHL’s Charlotte Checkers

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The AHL’s Charlotte Checkers announced that they’ve signed goaltender Louis Domingue for the remainder of the 2025-26 season. He signed in Russia with Sibir Novosibirsk over the offseason but was released from that deal at the beginning of the month.

Domingue, 33, didn’t fare well in his first tenure overseas. He made 11 appearances but only mustered a 3.83 GAA and .892 SV%, going 0-9-2 with one shutout behind one of the Kontinental Hockey League’s worst teams. He was released at his request for “family reasons,” but considering Novosibirsk’s new starter, Anton Krasotkin, has put up a .910 SV% in 21 outings, they were likely happy to let him walk.

The former Coyotes and Lightning backup has 144 games behind him at the top level, but hasn’t been an NHL regular for several years now. His last time making double-digit appearances in a single season was 2019-20 and he hasn’t been a full-time No. 2 option since the year prior with the Lightning. He’s bounced around multiple organizations in the last several years as a third or fourth-string option. He’d spent the last three years in the Rangers’ system, making a single spot start for them at the NHL level in 2023-24 and 2024-25.

While Domingue’s recent NHL track record in limited showings is strong – a .949 SV% in his last four starts dating back to 2021-22 – he took a tumble in the minors last season. In 28 showings for the Rangers’ AHL affiliate in Hartford, Domingue was limited to a .896 SV%, 3.32 GAA, and a 7-20-1 record. The Rangers understandably weren’t interested in bringing him back as a depth option after that performance, and he evidently didn’t net any two-way offers to stay in the NHL.

He’ll now catch on with the Panthers’ affiliate to extend a professional career that began with the ECHL’s Gwinnett Gladiators back in 2012 while in the Coyotes’ system. Charlotte hasn’t gotten great play out of their starter, Florida third-stringer Cooper Black, who’s only managed a .899 SV% and 2.77 GAA in 11 appearances. Domingue’s recent track record doesn’t suggest he’ll be much of an upgrade, but he’s a solid depth option to aid a rather inexperienced minor-league crease.

Panthers’ Eetu Luostarinen Out Week-To-Week, Cole Schwindt To Undergo Arm Surgery

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Panthers winger Eetu Luostarinen suffered significant burns as a result of a barbecue accident and will miss a few weeks, head coach Paul Maurice said (via George Richards of Florida Hockey Now). He also informed reporters that depth forward Cole Schwindt requires arm surgery and will miss two to three months, per the team’s Jameson Olive.

The two-time defending champions are now facing even more significant strain on their top-nine forward group. They were already down Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk to start the season. In their absence, they were relying on Luostarinen heavily – essentially bumping up last year’s third line of him, Anton Lundell, and Brad Marchand, into first-line minutes.

Given the aggressive increase in deployment and the quality of competition, the experiment has largely gone well. Luostarinen has been the definitive third wheel on that line but was still on the best point pace of his career with 10 points (three goals, seven assists) through 18 games. The versatile 6’3″ forward has been the checking conscience of that line with 42 hits and is still tied for fifth on the club in scoring, a solid feat after back-to-back seasons in the 20-point range. He’s helped Lundell along to a strong 5-11–16 start in 19 games as he temporarily assumes Barkov’s role as Florida’s No. 1 center and has added fuel to Marchand’s resurgent 13-10–23 start in 18 games as the Cats’ leading scorer.

Understandably, relying on that trio for more offensive responsibility has come at the expense of defense. After they allowed only 1.14 goals against per 60 minutes in last year’s playoffs, that figure has spiked to 3.07 so far in the regular season. Their 47.8% share of expected goals is the worst among the Panthers’ five lines to play at least 50 minutes together this season, per MoneyPuck.

Regardless, Luostarinen’s absence will force even more line-shuffling from Maurice and even less support for struggling veterans like Sam Bennett, who’s been limited to four goals and seven points in 19 games and has a team-worst -7 rating. As for who replaces him in top-line duties with Lundell and Marchand, it’ll be 2021 first-rounder Mackie Samoskevich getting the first crack, according to Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald. Considering he’s put up similar point production (a 2-7–9 scoring line in 19 games) to Luostarinen this year in less ice time, it’s a logical bet for him to be able to elevate his game.

Florida also loses a fourth-line option in Schwindt, who had played in 10 straight games after sitting as a healthy scratch for the first nine. The former Panthers draft pick returned to the organization via a preseason waiver claim after intermediate stops in the Flames and Golden Knights organizations. He first entered the lineup in place of the injured Jonah Gadjovich in late October and managed two goals on seven shots to kick off his second stint in Sunrise. His minutes were limited at 8:38 per game, but the 24-year-old was still among the Cats’ most freshly experienced options for fourth-line minutes after he made a career-high 42 appearances for Vegas last year.

His absence means more consistent deployment for Noah Gregor, who didn’t make his season debut until Oct. 28 but has now played in six of the last nine. It’ll also mean an extended runway for top prospect Jack Devine, who has 12 points through 13 games with AHL Charlotte this year and was formally elevated earlier Wednesday.

Panthers Recall Jack Devine

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Nov. 19: The Panthers made Devine’s recall official this morning and placed winger Jonah Gadjovich on injured reserve in the corresponding move, per PuckPedia. Gadjovich won’t be back anytime soon after undergoing surgery to address an upper-body injury earlier this month, putting him out through early February.

Nov. 18: The Florida Panthers have recalled top prospect Jack Devine and could award him his NHL debut in Thursday’s matchup against the New Jersey Devils, per George Richards of Florida Hockey Now. Devine currently leads the Charlotte Checkers in scoring with 12 points in 13 games.

Devine has continued the hot start to his pro career that began when he scored seven points in his first 10 AHL games at the end of last season. It continues a streak of scoring that stretches back to his days with the U.S. National Team Development Program in 2019-20 and 2020-21. He scored 34 points in 42 games in the USHL, but had his U18 season cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic. That gave him little runway into a quiet freshman year at the University of Denver. He recorded 19 points and a plus-12 in 36 games while operating from the fourth line of a Pioneers squad that’d run all the way to a National Championship. Still, that performance flew under the radar enough for Florida to land Devine with the third-to-final pick in the 2022 NHL Draft.

He took off after the draft, climbing to 31 points in 38 games as a sophomore, then emerging as Denver’s star in his junior year. Devine posted Denver with 27 goals, 56 points, and a plus-29 in 44 games – leading the Pioneers in scoring en route to their second National Championship in three years. He led the team again last year, with 57 points in 44 games.

Devine has had the arc of a draft gem and will get his first chance to prove it on Thursday. He’s a true playmaker with a strong build and sharp thinking under pressure. That could be an X-factor addition to the Panthers, who have posted a 3-2-0 record across their last five games.

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